Climate Action at Local Level (CALL)

The impacts of climate change are already being felt in Bangladesh, particularly in the country's vulnerable coastal and riverine areas. These challenges are compounded by a lack of access to climate-smart livelihoods, inadequate infrastructure, and limited disaster preparedness. CALL aims to build local resilience through community-driven solutions and by strengthening the capacity of local systems to manage climate and disaster risks.

Despite significant progress in improving health and education, climate change continues to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. At present, marginalised communities, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities, are disproportionately affected. CALL addresses these challenges by engaging these groups in climate action and ensuring their voices are heard in local governance and decision-making.

CALL Consortium Partners

• CBM Global
• Enfants du Monde (EdM)
• Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)
• HEKS/EPER
• Helvetas

• Solidar Suisse

• Swiss Red Cross
• Swisscontact
• Terre des hommes Foundation

Projects under CALL

⦿ ACCESS – Actions to Climate Change Ensuring Sustainable Solutions (ACCESS) project strengthens climate-vulnerable communities in Bangladesh through inclusive adaptation, resilient livelihoods, equitable water access, and empowering local governance via knowledge sharing, advocacy, and evidence-based decision making.

Locations: Khulna, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Kurigram

Partners: Helvetas Bangladesh, ESDO, DORP, Uttaran

⦿ LEATHER – Building a Sustainable Leather Sector in Bangladesh project strengthens social dialogue and compliance to protect workers and the environment. By empowering CSOs, unions, and factory stakeholders, it promotes decent work, addresses severe pollution, and supports safer, more sustainable livelihoods in this vital export industry.

Locations: Dhaka, Gazipur, Kishoreganj

Partners: Solider Suisse, BILS, Gonosastho Kendra, OSHE Foundation, Prokriti o Jibon Foundation, Shobujer Ovijan Foundation.

⦿ RAINS – Diversified Resilient Agriculture for Improved Food and Nutrition Security (RAINS) project enhances food and nutrition security resilience by adapting climate fit technologies, enabling market responsive and women empowering production decisions, and increasing community satisfaction to withstand environmental and economic shocks.

Locations: Khulna, Satkhira, Jamalpur, Naogoan

Partners: GAIN, Leaders, Caritas Bangladesh, Uttaran, Unnayan Shangho

⦿ JAMUNA – Joint Action for Mitigating Climate Uncertainties and Natural Adversities (JAMUNA) project strengthens community resilience in Bangladesh through locally led climate action, early warning systems, capacity building, and advocacy for promoting rights-based inclusion and climate justice.

Locations: Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogura, Sirajganj

Partners: Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Swiss Red Cross

⦿ PROGRESS – Promoting Green Growth in the Ready-Made Garments Sector through Skills (PROGRESS) project strengthens the RMG industry by enhancing worker skills, expanding decent jobs for women, and supporting factories and local service providers to adopt energy-efficient methods and meet global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards.

Locations: Dhaka, Chattogram, Gazipur, Narayanganj

Partner: Swisscontact

⦿ Free Kids – Free Kids project combats child labour in the dried fish and metal sectors by strengthening stakeholder capacity, providing education and market-aligned skills for child labourers, and supporting climate-migrant families with resilient livelihoods to reduce economic dependency on hazardous child work.

Locations: Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar

Partners: Solider Suisse, YPSA

⦿ REACH – Reducing Climate-Change Induced Health Hazards (REACH) project reduces climate related health risks for women, children, and adolescent girls by strengthening their decision-making skills, improving public health system capacity, and generating evidence to inform national policy for resilient maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health.

Location: Satkhira

Partners: Enfants du Monde, ESDO

⦿ SPiRiT – Sports for Protection, Resilience and Transformation (SPiRiT) project uses the Sports for Protection (S4P) strategy to support displaced and climate-vulnerable children and youth. The project enhances well-being through safe sports, builds coping skills for climate related risks, fosters youth led solutions, and strengthens gender responsive, protective coaching environments.

Locations: Dhaka, Satkhira, Kurigram

Partners: Terre des Hommes, Breaking the Silence, Solidarity

⦿ DIDRM – The Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Management (DIDRM) project strengthens the resilience of at-risk communities by addressing the heightened vulnerabilities of persons with disabilities, ensuring accessible disaster preparedness, promoting their active participation, and reducing barriers that limit safety, livelihoods, and inclusion during climate induced disasters.

Location: Khulna

Partners: Cbm Global, Caritas Bangladesh, DCF

⦿ SWAPNO – Strengthening Workers’ Access to Pertinent Nutrition Opportunities (SWAPNO) project improves wellbeing by increasing access to healthier foods through greater awareness, workplace provision of nutritious options, and community demand supported by training, behaviour-change communication, and nutrition centres promoting safe, affordable diets.

Locations: Khulna, Satkhira, Jamalpur, Naogoan

Partners: GAIN, Leaders, Caritas Bangladesh, Uttaran, Unnayan Shangho

⦿ NSSS – Nari Shakti, Samaj Shakti (NSSS) project strengthens the resilience of women and marginalized groups in climate-vulnerable Cox’s Bazar by promoting economic empowerment, leadership, and disaster preparedness to build safer, more inclusive, and climate-resilient communities.

Location: Cox’s Bazar

Partners: Helvetas Bangladesh, ESDO, Uttaran

⦿ THRIVE – Thriving through Equity, Economic Empowerment, and Climate Resilience (THRIVE) project strengthens the resilience of plainland Adibashis, Dalits, and other marginalized communities in climate-vulnerable northwest Bangladesh by expanding access to rights and services, promoting economic empowerment, and supporting evidence-based advocacy to improve coping capacities against droughts, floods, and other climate stresses.

Locations: Kurigram, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur, Chapai Nawabganj, Naogaon

Partners: HKES/EPER, DASCOH, ESDO, MJSKS